Mattress and method of manufacturing the same



Dec. 10, 1. J. R. JOHNSON. 2,224,300

MATTRESS AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME Filed May 27, 1938' 2 Shets-Sheet 1 Deco 1940- Y J. R. JOHNSON 2 MATTRESS AND METHOD OFMANUFACTURING THE SAME Filed May 2'7, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTQR, 2m 72m BY M M2hw ATTORNEY.

Patented Dec. 10, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MATTRESS AND METHODOF MANU- FACTURING THE SAME Application lllay 27, 1938, Serial No.210,327

2 Claims.

My invention relates to a mattress embodying a presewed and partiallyclosed easing, into which a resilient core is slid or inserted, afterwhich the casing is closed.

Objects of my invention are to fasten or anchor the core to the casingso as to prevent their relative shifting or disarrangement; to do thisby the use of means which are concealed when the casing is finallyclosed; to employ for anchoring means flexible elements which willaccommodate themselves to the movements of the mattress when in use,without injury to its component parts; to enable the assembly andanchoring of the core and casing to be readily accomplished byunskilledlabor; to produce a cored mattress which is easily assembled,simple in construction and moderate in cost; and to secure the otherbenefits and advantages hereinafter pointed out and claimed.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a perspective view, on a reduced scale, of atypical mattress, with one end seam partially unclosed; Fig. 2 is across sectional view taken as on line 2--2 of Fig. 3; Fig. 3 is a planview, with the top of the casing removed, the figure being shortened byexcission of medial portions, and the spring arrangement of the core,which is conventional, being shown diagrammatically in Fig. 2 and inmost of the figure, but more in detail in the upper left hand corner;Fig. 4 is a view on an enlarged scaleof a section of an open end of themattress showing the anchoring means from both top and bottom, gatheredand knotted together; Fig. 5 is a similar end view, also on an enlargedscale, but showing a modification in securing the ends of the anchoringelements to each other; Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view of a modifiedform of my invention, the right hand edge seams being unclosed; Fig. '7is a longitudinal edge view on a relatively reduced scale, taken aslooking from the right on Fig. 6; and Fig. 8 is an illustration of atool suitable for use in assembling the mattress.

In all the figures similar parts are designated by similar referencenumerals.

In the art of mattress making a system has been developed of making apresewed case, closed, except to an extent which will permit theinsertion of an elastic core through one end, after which the casing iscompletely closed. This has been found advantageous in shipping thecasings and the cores knocked down and not assembled, thus permittingthe final assembly to be made by local distributors, who may vary thedesign of the casing used with the core to meet the tastes ofpurchasers. This system has proven quite satisfactory in the marketingof such mattresses. However, it results'in the core being free and notattached nor anchored to the casing which may shift, slip, or slide moreor less, particularly laterally around the core. Such mattresses areusually finished with rolled edges; and it is desirable to have thoseedges retain their proper positions during the use of the mattress; fortheir displacement results in their forming ridges in improper positionson the mattress, which are both unsightly and uncomfortable to theusers. Thus, if a person sits on the rolled edge of a mattress, thetendency is to push that edge outward and downward, so that it may notcooperate properly with the adjacent edge of the core, resulting inundue wear of the core edge against the casing, and a more or lessunsatisfactory functioning of the casing and the core in relation toeach other.

As already mentioned it is desirable to avoid tufting through the casingand the core to anchor them to each other, to avoid which, I proceed asfollows:

A conventional core I of interconnected coiled springs. 2, 2 assembledwithin resilient bordering wires 3 is preferably employed. Panels 5, 5are combined with boxing 6 to form the mattress casing, into which thecore I is slid, preferably through an unclosed end of the casing. Stouttapes or bands 1, l are fastened at one end into the seams of thecasing, and the tapes are then led into the interior of the casing andcarried around and through coils of the springs 2, -2 toward the outerend of the core. These tapes are preferably attached to the casing at apoint toward its inner end which is beyond the normal reach of a workmaninserting his arm through the open end of the casing; so that provisionmust be made for threading the tapes properly around and through thesprings. This may be done by running the ends of the tapes through thesprings as the core is slid into the casing and carrying the ends, whichare sufiiciently long for the purpose, through the springs as the coreis slid into place. It may also be accomplished by the use of suitabletools 8, such as illustrated in Fig. 8, two of which may be slid inbetween the wires of the core, before the core is incased, along lineson which it is desired to have the tapes drawn out, and the free ends ofboth tapes on each side carried through the adjacent hooks 9 on the endsof the tools over which a keeper [0 may be slid home, as shown in brokenlines in Fig. 8, so that, at the proper time, the tools may be withdrawnwithout snarling in the springs. Alternatively, if the tapes are notthreaded through the hooks on the tools as the core is inserted, theshank of the tool 8, which has been positioned approximately in thedesired path of the tape, may be slid inward so as to free the hook 9from the keeper l0, and to allow it to engage the loose tapes, and thenbe drawn forward at the proper time to carry the tape out between thesprings.

In this way four tapes secured toward the inner end of the casing areextended outward to the outer end of the core.

Another series of four tapes, H, H, are attached to the inside of thecasing toward the front end of the mattress, and may be led around andthrough the springs on desired paths, as the core is slid into thecasing, or afterwards, as these tapes II, I I can be readily reached bythe hands of the operative inserted through the open end. of the case.The tapes I and II are then drawn tight, so as to hold the rolled sideedges of the casing close to the core, the rolled edges registeringproperly with the wire edges of the core.

The tapes I and H are preferably wound or tied firmly around one or moreof the springs 2, 2, for instance as shown in the lower left hand cornerof Fig. 3, the tapes being then threaded through the coilsof adjacentsprings to a central position where-the ends of all eight tapes may betied or otherwise fastened to each other, for instance as shown at 12,in Figs. 3 and 4, or optionally the ends of four tapes on one side ofthe mattress may be tied or fastened to each other, and the ends of thefour tapes on the other side of the mattress may be similarly connected.And, if desired, the tapes may be fastened to the ends of coiled springsl3, 13, as shown in Fig. 5, and drawn taut, so that the springs may takeup slackness developing in the tapes in use, and will keep them fairlytaut, thus supplementing the action of the springs through which thetapes are threaded and secured, in such a way as to cause the springs toexert continuous tension on the tapes. If desired the ends of the tapesmay be secured to each other by sewing, or by connecting them otherwisethan by tying.

In Figs. 6 and 7 I have illustrated a modification of my inventionwherein tapes I 6, l6 are fastened at one end into the rolled edge seamof the casing, and, after the core has been slid into the casing, aredrawn through the springs, under the edge wires of the core and outthrough openings left in the opposite edge seam. These tapes may then bedrawn tight, and sewed or fastened into the edge seam, the free ends ofthe rolled edge tapes I1, I! being then sewed in place around the edgeseam to complete the closure of the casing.

By this arrangement it will be seen that four tapes may be passed fromone edge to the other of the mattress, running under the edge wires andthrough the ends of the coiled springs so as to efiectually tie the coreto the casing.

I wish it to be distinctly understood that the number of the tapes used,and the points at which they are attached to the casing and to thesprings and to each other may 'be varied as may be found desirable.

The paths of the tapes through the springs, as illustrated, are to beconsidered simply as typical and by no means exclusive, although it isdesirable to have the tapes so associated with the springs that thesprings keep the tapes under tension when the assembly is completed.Other details of construction may be modified as by the use ofmechanical equivalents without departing from the spirit of my inventionor the scope of my claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent of the United States is:

1. A mattress embodying a unitary, presewed double faced casing, havingcomplete top, bottom and boxing elements, a completely preassembledcore, embodying coiled springs, freely inserted in the casing, and meansconsisting of a textile tape having a portion fixedly attached to andwithin the casing at one side thereof and interlaced with springs of thecore longitudinally and transversely thereof, and another tape similarlyattached to and within the opposite side of the casing and similarlyinterlaced with a plurality of core springs, the

free ends of said tapes being fastened to each other to anchor the corein the casing, the anchoring means being wholly concealed andinaccessible from without when the casing is completely closed.

2. A mattress embodying a unitary, presewed double faced casing, havingcomplete top, bottom and boxing elements, a completely preassembledcore, embodying coiled springs, freely inserted in the casing, and meansconsisting of r a textile tape having a portion fixedly attached to andWithin the casing at one side thereof and interlaced with springs of thecore longitudinally and transversely thereof, and another tape similarlyattached to and within the opposite side of the casing and similarlyinterlaced with a plurality of core springs, and a second pair oftextile tapes similarly attached but at points nearer one end of thecasing, and similarly interlaced with the springs, the free ends of allthe tapes being fastened together to anchor the core in the casing, theanchoring means being wholly concealed and inaccessible from withoutwhen the casing is completely closed.

JAMES REID JOHNSON.

